Security lighting system and method, and control unit therefore

• US 8,004,420 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2006
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Lavooi, Ronald Edwin, Hoeben, Wilhelmus Frederik Laurens Maria, Van Der Burgt, Petrus Johannes Mathijs
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu; Julie
• Application Number:
  US11/916,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20080198009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,909 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/815.4
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 29/10 using light sources, e.g. lasers or flashing lights
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 31/002 Detecting animals in a given area
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 15/00 Identifying, scaring or incapacitating burglars, thieves or intruders, e.g. by explosives
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 119/905 Breaking or training method
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 119/908 Electrical animal control or handling

Abstract

A security lighting system and method are intended to dispel and/or affect unwanted humans or animals by providing lighting that varies with a suitable switching frequency, such as between 5 and 70 Hz. The lighting of a light source of the system may be varied by a control unit as to intensity, color, pattern etc., with a preferred switching frequency being between about 15 and 20 Hz for humans. A proximity detector may be provided to activate the system when an unwanted presence is detected. Such varying lighting causes feelings of physical and psychological discomfort, which have found to be effective in chasing away animals and dispelling or disorienting humans.

Claims

1. A security lighting system intended and arranged for affecting and/or dispelling humans and/or non-human animals, comprising:

at least one light source configured to emit stimuli inducing light,

an electrical connection for connecting the light source to an electrical power source, and

a control unit configured to automatically vary at least one property of light emitted by the light source with a first switching frequency of between 5 and 20 Hz when a human is detected and with a second switching frequency when a non-human animal is detected, the second switching frequency being higher than the first switching frequency.

2. The security lighting system according to claim 1, wherein the property is an intensity of the light.

3. The security lighting according to claim 1, wherein the switching frequency is between 15 and 20 Hz.

4. The security lighting system according to claim 1, wherein the switching frequency is adjustable and is randomly variable in time.

5. The security lighting system according to claim 1, wherein an intensity ratio of the emitted light between low intensity and high intensity is at least 1:

5.

6. The security lighting system according to claim 1, wherein a color spectrum of the light of the light source is adjustable.

7. The security lighting system according to claim 1, wherein at least about 5% of the light emitted by the light source has a red color.

8. The security lighting system according to claim 1, further comprising a proximity detector coupled to the control unit, such that the control unit starts to vary the property of the light of the light source with the switching frequency when the proximity detector detects a non-desired presence.

9. The security lighting system of claim 8, wherein the control unit is configured to supply the light source with a substantially continuous power for burning at a non-zero intensity level.

10. The security lighting system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises an attenuator that is configured to attenuate the emitted light with a desired switching frequency.

11. The security lighting system according to claim 1, wherein the light source comprises a gas discharge lamp.

12. The security lighting system according to claim 11, wherein the gas discharge lamp comprises a high-pressure mercury vapor lamp, optionally with at least one added metal halide.

13. The security lighting system according to claim 11, wherein the light source comprises a high-pressure sodium lamp, optionally with at least one added metal halide.

14. The security lighting system according to claim 11, wherein the light source comprises a LED.

15. The security lighting system according to claim comprising a plurality of light sources.

16. The security lighting system according to claim 15, wherein at least one of the plurality of light sources is controlled independently of the other light sources.

17. A method of affecting and/or dispelling humans and/or non-human animals, comprising providing a light source configured to emit stimuli inducing light, and varying a property of light emitted by the light source with a switching frequency of between 5 and 20 Hz when a human is detected and with a second switching frequency when a non-human animal is detected, the second switching frequency being higher than the first switching frequency.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the property comprises the intensity of the emitted light.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the switching frequency is varied randomly varied in time.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the color spectrum of the light is varied.